No. 5 WPI 1, No. 1 Wheaton 0 – Final 

Junior midfielder Eli Marden (Shelburne, Vt.) headed in a free kick late late in the first half and sophomore goalkeeper Savio Ketnouvong (Paxton, Mass.) registered eight saves to propel fifth-seeded Worcester Polytechnic Institute to a stunning 1-0 upset of previously undefeated, nationally-ranked and top-seeded host Wheaton College in a NEWMAC Men’s Soccer Tournament semifinal contest Thursday afternoon on Keefe Field in Norton, Mass.

The Engineers, who dropped a 4-0 decision to the Lyons just 15 days ago on the same field, and subsequently needed a goal in the final 20 minutes of the regular season to defeat Salve Regina this past Saturday, just to qualify for the postseason. WPI, which then needed overtime on Tuesday to dispatch third-seeded Emerson on the road in the quarterfinals, advances to its fifth NEWMAC championship game on Saturday. 

The Crimson and Gray, now 8-6-5 overall, will face second-seeded Babson College, a 3-1 winner earlier on Thursday at home over United States Coast Guard Academy. It will mark the fourth time the two teams will square off in the finals, with WPI capturing the title at home in PKs in 2023 and Babson winning the title late in the second overtime in 2019 and in 2014.

Wheaton, ranked eighth in the most recent United Soccer Coaches national poll, falls to 14-1-4 on the season, snapping a two-game winning streak and 21-match unbeaten run, dating back to October 26, 2024. The Lyons, who had not been shut out all season, are expected to receive an at-large bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament and should draw strong consideration to host an opening round match next weekend.  

Senior midfielder Tora Ito (Hopkinton, Mass.) set up the lone goal of the day on a free kick just outside of the box on the left side. His serve was headed into the top left corner of the net by Marden with just 4:02 left in the opening half to give the Engineers a 1-0 lead. 

Ketnouvong did the rest for WPI, answering the call again and again. 

Wheaton senior midfielder Aidan Doyle (Kingston, Mass.) fired a hard shot headed for inside the right post, but Ketnouvong made a diving stop to his left in the 28th minute. Doyle tested the Engineer keeper again just over seven minutes into the second half, but this time his strike was headed for the left corner of the frame. The result was the same with Ketnouvong stretching for another save with a dive to his right in the 53rd minute of play. Ketnouvong continued his heroics in the 73rd minute to keep his shutout intact. Doyle served a ball into the box for junior back Owen Kane (Pembroke, Mass.), who directed a ball off the side of his head for the right corner, but the WPI goalie was there again to make the stop. 

The Lyons had one final quality chance when Doyle served another ball into the box that senior midfielder Joey Everett (Danbury, Conn.) headed toward the goal line, but senior back Edward Zazzali (Nutley, N.J.) was able to deflect the attempt away to preserve the victory for the visiting Engineers.

Doyle and sophomore forward Gael Vera (Westminster, Mass.) paced Wheaton with four shots apiece as part of an 18-5 shooting advantage for the Lyons. Wheaton outshot its guest, 11-1, in the second half, but was unable to find the back of the net. Senior keeper Michael O’Gara (Ardmore, Pa.) made a pair of saves in the match for the Lyons, who held an 8-3 margin in corner kicks.   

No. 3 Coast Guard 1, No. 2 Babson 3 – Final

Senior Alexander Yablonovsky (Berkeley Heights, N.J.) and junior McKenzy Pierre (West Orange, N.J.) each recorded a goal and an assist to help second-seed Babson College defeat the third-seeded Coast Guard, 3-1, in a NEWMAC Tournament semifinal match on Thursday afternoon at Hartwell-Rogers Field.
 
With the win, Babson improves to 9-6-4 overall while punching its ticket to its sixth consecutive NEWMAC Tournament final. Coast Guard sees its season come to a close at 7-6-7.
 
Senior Liam Goldstein (Princeton, N.J.) also provided a goal, while classmate Joao Araujo (Boca Raton, Fla.) and junior Huey Miller (Gill, Mass.) both registered an assist for the Beavers. Sophomore goalkeeper JB Montague (Lutz, Fla.), who was making his first career postseason start, did not make a save.
 
Junior Cole Miller (Annapolis, Md.) had a goal and senior Aidan Miles (Tampa, Fla.) picked up an assist for the Bears, who got six saves from Jack Putnam (Halfmoon, N.Y.).
 
Coast Guard opened the scoring in the 16th minute when Miller ran onto a ball down the left flank and drove into the box before finishing past the oncoming Montague and inside the right post for his team-leading sixth goal of the season. The Green and White pulled level exactly eight minutes later, though, as Pierre headed Miller’s service from the right wing back towards goal to set up Yablonovskiy’s ninth marker of the year at the 23:50 mark.
 
The Beavers, who outshot the Bears 6-3 in the opening period, seized command of the game by striking twice in the first 12 minutes of the second half. Goldstein drilled a header back inside the near post following a perfect service by Miller in the 50th minute to make it 2-1, and Pierre calmly picked out the upper left corner following a giveaway in the 57th minute for his first tally of the season.
 
First-year Will Boecher (Wellesley, Mass.) forced a diving save from Putnam in the 67th minute, senior James Modiano (Montclair, N.J.) sent a blast just over the crossbar in the 71st minute, and Putnam made another sprawling save on Babson first-year Nicholas Adams (Norwell, Mass.) in the 74th minute.
 
The Beavers outshot Coast Guard 19-3 over 90 minutes, including 13-0in the second half, and attempted five of the six corner kicks in the contest.
 
Babson will host fifth-seeded WPI in the NEWMAC Tournament final on Saturday at 1 p.m.
 
About the NEWMAC

The NEWMAC is an association of 12 selective academic institutions: Babson College, Clark University, U.S Coast Guard Academy, Emerson College, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Mount Holyoke College, Salve Regina University, Smith College, Springfield College, Wellesley College, Wheaton College, and Worcester Polytechnic Institute, that are committed to providing high quality competitive athletic opportunities for student-athletes within an educational and respectful environment that embodies the NCAA Division III Philosophy. The conference also partners with eight Associate Members: Brandeis University (Women's Lacrosse, 2026-2027), New York University (Men's Volleyball, 2026-2027), Norwich University (Football), Simmons College (Rowing), SUNY Maritime College (Football), SUNY New Paltz (Men's Volleyball, 2026-2027), U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (Football), and Vassar College (Men's Volleyball, 2026-2027), while sponsoring 20 sports.